We will leave in due course. When we leave, after a while it will be like we were never there.
Like the last time. When we withdrew from the North West Frontier in 1947, closely followed by the newly independent Pakistan government's own Frontier Force, leaving "the Pathans" to their own devices, we never dreamed we'd ever be back again.
As one of the last British troops to leave Singapore in September 1971, I distinctly remember that the reasons given for the withdrawal from east of Suez was that our former colonial possessions were fully capable of managing their own affairs, allowing us to downsize our armed forces and save lots of money. So, why the renewed enthusiasm for imperial adventure? Those who fail to heed the lessons of history are doomed to repeat the failures.
